Ash Wednesday

We begin Lent with Ash Wednesday – when our foreheads will be marked with the sign of the cross and the pastor will speak the familiar words, “Remember you are dust – and to dust you shall return.”

These words are a potent reminder of mortality. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust – are the words spoken at the grave. Ash Wednesday reminds us that our time on earth is finite and that we should live our lives knowing that we only have so much time to do the right thing and to seek forgiveness for what we have done wrong.

But there is also something else.

I remember once learning that most of the dust in our homes is made of two things – skin cells and star dust. I don’t know if that’s true, but I like the image: that dust is made of us and the stars, that we are part of each other, and that no matter how lowly we may seem there is promise of more.

According to Genesis, from the dust of the earth God makes all of life. If God can do that with dust, what might God do with us?

When we confess our sins, when we seek forgiveness, when we pledge to amend our ways and walk in newness of life, what might be possible for us? New life, renewed life, eternal life?

Jan Anderson writes in her poem Blessing the Dust:

So let us be marked not for sorrow.
And let us be marked not for shame.
Let us be marked not for false humility
or for thinking we are less than we are
but for claiming what God can do within the dust,
within the dirt, within the stuff of which the word is made
and the stars that blaze in our bones
and the galaxies that spiral inside the smudge we bear

Come and see what God can do with the dust that is you. Join us for Ash Wednesday services February 14th at 12:15 and 7PM. All are welcome.

What to expect on Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday services at both 12:15 and 7PM will be solemn services including both the Imposition of Ashes (the opportunity to have ashes put on your forehead in the shape of the cross) and Holy Communion.

All are welcome to participate in both or either part of the service.

There will be a time for confession and forgiveness, a sermon, and music. While the services are serious, children and teens are welcome and encouraged to attend. The will be nursery care available at the 7PM service for children under 6.

If you would like to know more about the services at Redeemer, please call the church office – 630-323-5530.

Upcoming Events

Renewing Redeemer Capital Campaign Message

We are so impressed with the generosity and graciousness of our Redeemer members. As we begin the Renewing Redeemer construction, we have received gifts and pledge payments totaling $840,000. This, along with $125,000 in memorial and building funds available from our balance sheet, brings total income to $965,000, which is 69% of our $1,400,000 budget.

If you haven’t pledged or donated to the capital campaign, it’s not too late! The Renewing Redeemer Committee has assured me that there are additional renovations they have identified, which are not covered within the current budget. Any gifts you give will be used to improve the Redeemer facility!

Also, please remember to check with your employer to see if they match donations made to charitable organizations. Your contribution to the Renewing Redeemer renovations is likely covered by this type of program.

As we embark into 2019, we ask you to think about giving your pledge commitment early in the year. While the pledge period extends over 3 years, the building project will happen in less than one year. Right now, we are projecting to have roughly a $50,000 exposure around March 2019, as build-out costs exceed available cash (including the loan from our Endowment Fund, which we approved in May 2018.) By giving early in 2019, we can avoid borrowing money from outside the church and paying the fees associated with it.

Thank you again for your contribution to the Renewing Redeemer renovations. Your support means you are delivering on our motto by “Living Christ’s Call! Imagine the Difference!” We are blessed to have your support!